With the season’s most significant game only two sleeps away, the Carolina Panthers are finalizing preparations for the rematch against the Los Angeles Rams. The two teams will battle for the second time this season at Bank of America Stadium. However, this meeting takes place in the NFC Wild Card round.
By extending their season into the playoffs, the Panthers have positioned themselves to activate another crucial player to the game-day roster. The team provided the clearest sign of that on Thursday.
Carolina Panthers’ HC ‘Very Optimistic’ About Potential Return of Star OL
Panthers’ head coach Dave Canales has been asked about the status of his former Pro Bowl lineman, Robert Hunt, ever since the team designated him to return on Christmas Eve. Fast forward to Canales’ final pre-Wild Card press conference on Thursday. There, he gave his most encouraging answer yet about Hunt potentially returning to the lineup.
Canales began, “His status is questionable, but he had a great day.” The follow-up may have been the turning point: “I’m very optimistic about Rob [Hunt] playing. And I can’t put anything official out there until, of course, we come up with the final roster and all that stuff. But he looked great.”
Getting a player of Hunt’s caliber back for the season’s biggest game not only upgrades the Panthers’ offensive line but should also invigorate the entire team’s energy.
Chuba Hubbard affirmed that sentiment when asked what Hunt’s return would bring to the team. Hubbard said, “One thing about Rob, he just brings this energy, this juice, that’s just kind of contagious.” Hunt has not played since he suffered a torn biceps tendon in Week 2 and underwent surgery shortly after. He has participated fully in all practices this week.
In the first meeting, the Panthers averaged 4.2 yards per carry on inside rushing attempts. Their attack was less effective when rushing outside the tackles, where they averaged 3.8 yards per Next Gen Stats. Hunt, in theory, should boost both strategies.
He is ultra-physical at the point of attack and controls the line of scrimmage. He is also a terrific athlete for his size (listed as 6-foot-6, 323 pounds) and is efficient on pull blocks, chauffeuring his running back into space by reaching the second level.
The Panthers’ OL has used more than ten player combinations, yet they have maintained a commendable level of play. According to PFSN OL Impact Metric, the Carolina offensive line performed well enough to rank as the No. 8 collective in the NFL.
Against the Rams in Week 13, the Panthers rushed for 164 yards. It was the last time in the regular season that Rico Dowdle and Hubbard combined for over 100 rushing yards.
If Hunt returns to the gridiron on Saturday afternoon for the postseason rematch, the Panthers will hope to replicate that success and get the run game back on track.
As for the rest of the Panthers’ roster heading into the weekend? The only other injury designation on the Thursday injury report is for Chandler Zavala, who is listed as questionable and is currently still on injured reserve. The team designated him to return, opening his practice window, on Tuesday.
